This invention relates to cable hangers for suspending flexible cables from shipping and stowage containers. More particularly, this invention is for a cable hanger readily coupled to preformed mounting blocks on shipping and stowage containers for suspending cables above a deck or walkway to reduce possible hazards and maintain reliable electrical, hydraulic and/or optical interconnections.
Containers for shipping goods are widely used in air, sea and land transport vehicles for a multitude of different items. Large containers can efficiently keep many items together as a lot and provide a degree of protection during the haul. The containers can rest singly or be stacked on the deck or pallets and usually are arranged in holds and on the decks in accessible rows and columns having walkways for ventilation and for workmen. Large transport vehicles can carry many of the containers that can extend across considerable area in large holds or other spacious deck areas.
Most of the long-haul shipping and stowage containers used by the great majority of commercial air and maritime commerce have evolved into a standard design. The standard established by ISO 1161 requirements by the International Organization for Standardization is for containers of standardized dimensions and ruggedness to promote efficiency and safety for air and maritime use. The ISO 1161 containers are robustly constructed with rigid side walls mounted on strong frameworks that have a heavy-duty block-shaped corner fitting at each of the containers' eight corners. The corner fittings as well as the other parts of an ISO 1161 container can be made from steel, aluminum or other tough material.
The block-shaped corner fittings have elongated openings sized to receive appropriately dimensioned heavy-duty rotatable bayonet portions of twist-lock fittings. When a bayonet portion in inserted through an opening and into a corner fitting, the inserted portion is manually rotated a partial turn via its attached small twist-lock lever. This rotation of the inserted bayonet portion securely engages the twist-lock fitting to the block-shaped corner fitting, and whatever is coupled to the other end of the twist-lock fitting is thereby secured to the container. Individual containers can be securely stacked together by double ended twist-lock fittings engaging abutting block-shaped corner fittings, or hoisting slings or other components can be secured to the containers via similar twist-lock fittings. A considerable number of ISO 1161 corner fittings and interfacing twist-lock fittings are commercially available by a number of well known suppliers such as TANDUMLOC Inc., 824 Highway 101, Havelock, N.C. 28532, for example.
It is not uncommon to have a number of electrical, hydraulic and/or optical cables reaching across the storage areas of the containers. These cables provide for the numerous power and communication needs of the host vessel, and in addition some of the cables might be used to supply electrical power or communications links with equipments in some of the containers during transit. Because of the tight time schedules of most on-loading operations, the cables have been loosely draped across the tops of the containers and passageways between them. These cables have been known to hang down into the walkways and obstruct or trip the crewmen and other workmen. The hanging or underfoot cables also could become damaged and create severe fire hazards with possible injuries and fatalities along with the interruption of their normal functions.
Thus, in accordance with this inventive concept, a need has been recognized in the state of the art for a cable hanger for securely suspending cables externally to shipping containers to reduce the possibility of injury of personnel and interruption of electrical, hydraulic, and/or communications functions.